The UN expressed its concern on Thursday about the effect that the plans of the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, may have on the company, but assured that it will continue to use the social network to share important information.
Under the title “Why is the UN necessary on Twitter?”, the organization’s communications officer, Melissa Fleming, published an article explaining her concerns, but also the reasons why she believes she should keep the UN on Twitter. the platform.
Fleming said the UN is concerned about Musk’s promise to make Twitter a digital haven for free speech, which some studies have already led to a rise in hateful, racist or anti-Semitic content on the social network.
“What does this really mean in the age of disinformation?” asked the UN communications officer, noting that this freedom of expression must be accompanied by a fight against “disinformation and hate designed and spread to cause harm deliberately”.
“We cannot forget that lives are at stake,” insisted Fleming, who believes that the enemy of freedom of expression is not content moderation, but fraud, hate speech and incitement to violence.
Melissa Fleming also highlighted that all digital platforms are constantly used for malicious purposes by certain actors, who in many cases use them to attack minority groups with strategies that have already claimed many lives.
“Disinformation is not only deadly, it is threatening our own future,” stressed the UN official, who gave as an example the messages on social networks that led millions of people to not protect themselves from the covid-19 pandemic or to question the weather. crisis.
For Fleming, “Twitter has a responsibility to protect human rights and save lives” and everyone must help the social network to put an end to the “lies” that seek the opposite.
“The answer is not to leave these spaces. That only helps the minority determined to do harm”, she analyzed, assuring that the UN will continue to use social networks to defend its mission.
Musk, who has often declared himself a “free speech absolutist,” promised changes to Twitter’s moderation but said no major changes will be made until a board is created to advise him.
The billionaire took control of Twitter last week, after buying the social network for 44,000 million euros, immediately dissolving the board of directors, in addition to expelling the main staff and laying off about half of the 7,500 employees. , including all human rights defenders. equipment.
Source: TSF
